


Insomnia

by AnnieVH



Series: Behind Closed Doors [40]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Phone Calls, Rumbelle - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2015-09-10
Packaged: 2018-04-20 00:41:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4767077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnieVH/pseuds/AnnieVH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After what happened at the library, Belle can’t sleep and calls Ruby.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Insomnia

**Author's Note:**

> Beta: MaddieBonanaFana

 

Though Ruby's cellphone had been muted before she and Graham went to bed, the brightness and the strong vibration against the nightstand was enough to pull her out of a shallow sleep.

"It's 3am," she said, as a way of greeting.

"I know, I can't sleep," Belle said. She sounded sorry, but didn't offer to call later.

Ruby yawned, "That's why they invented Netflix.”

Graham mumbled, " _Whosit_?"

"Go back to sleep. It's alright."

He said, "' _mkay_." And turned to the other side.

"Is that Graham?" Belle asked. Ruby could hear the hint of a smile, even though her voice was quiet, almost ashamed.

"Yup." Ruby lowered her voice even more. "I'll tell you the details later."

Graham mumbled again. " _Nngh, no'tails_."

"Yes, honey, go back to sleep." To Belle she said, "I am _very_ tired right now."

That sounded more like bragging than a complaint, but Ruby couldn't help it.

Belle said, "Good for you."

"I know," she giggled. "So if you're just sleepless, may I suggest _The Old Man And The Sea_?"

"I can never put that one down once I start it."

"Of course you can't." She waited. "Okay, what?"

Belle didn't answer.

"You don't call in the middle of the night. That's my MO. What happened?"

Belle spoke as if she were choosing each word carefully, "I think I almost made a bad decision earlier today."

"You don't make bad decisions, Belle. That is _also_ my MO."

Graham grumbled something, as if protesting.

Ruby added, “Present decision excluded.”

“' _anks_.”

"I think I almost kissed Mr. Gold."

The revelation was so sudden that Ruby stopped smiling. Her jaw dropped. No, this wasn't right. She must still be sleeping and this was one of those very weird dreams she'd laugh with Belle about the next day. _I dreamed_ _that_ _you kissed Mr. Gold, and then it was my first day at school and my pants were gone_.

Something must have changed in her demeanor, because Graham looked over his shoulder and tried to find her silhouette in the dark. When he spoke, his voice was much more alert than before. “What?”

"Uhn..." she said, turning from Graham to the phone, deciding what needed her attention the most. To Belle, she said, "Hold it." To Graham, she said, "Belle's having a bit of a crisis, I'll be right back."

Ruby kissed his forehead and put on his shirt, which was the first article of clothing she found on the floor. Graham made no comment about it fitting her much better than himself, which only proved he was suspicious, but he did not follow her into the living room.

Once she thought she was out of ears range, she all but exploded, “What the freaking hell do you mean by kiss-”

“Keep your voice down!” Belle urged her. “If Graham finds out, he'll tell Neal that-”

“That you almost kissed his married dad?” Ruby finished. “Yes, I can see why this might be bad for your friendship.”

Belle said, "I don't know if I almost kissed him. I just... think... that I almost did."

Ruby sat on the couch. "Unless you suffer from amnesia, I don't see why it's so hard to figure this out, Belle. You either almost did or you almost did not."

“No, it's not the- I thought about it. Not seriously. It's not- I wouldn't have.”

“Are you sure?” Ruby asked. Belle wasn't the kind of person who called in the middle of the night because of things she wouldn't have done.

"It was just a thought that went through my mind,” Belle said, ignoring the question. “We were talking and I looked at him and... I realized that I could just lean in and..."

She didn't finish.

Ruby said, "You cannot lean in _and_."

"I know,” was her immediate reply.

"He's married."

"I know!"

"He is married to a horrible person. There is no telling what she might do to you, which is going to be unpleasant enough. But what she might do to him could be even worse."

"Why do you think I can't sleep? I feel _terrible_! With everything that's happening, this is the last thing he needs right now.”

Ruby thought about it. "Are you sure that's not why you are, you know... attracted to him?"

"Sorry?"

"A helpless man trapped in a terrible marriage, waiting to be rescued."

"He's not helpless, nor is he waiting to be rescued,” Belle said, icy. “He just needs help."

"My point is that he makes you feel useful. I'd go as far as to say _heroic_. Maybe if he didn't, you wouldn't be in this predicament."

Belle seemed to think about it, but her answer sounded offended nonetheless, "That is a horrible thing to say."

Ruby didn't apologize.

"I don't want to help him because he makes me feel heroic,” she continued. “I want to help him because his abusive wife just broke his hand and he doesn't see anything wrong with it. Because Neal is my friend and this is hurting his family. Because that's what decent people do."

"Belle, I am not questioning that you are a good person. I know you are. More than anyone in this town. But this is what you do! You like to feel useful, to save people, to fix their problems. Hell, the only reason I didn't screw up my life in high school was because you were there to help me through my bad decisions. But if Mr. Gold didn't have the horrible wife, you wouldn't be spending nearly as much time with him-"

"I promised Neal!"

"So did Graham, Belle! But he doesn't turn into Mr. Gold's bodyguard just because he made a promise! Mr. Gold is a grown man who makes his own decisions, and you shouldn't be kissing him!"

" _Almost_! _Almost_ kissing him!"

"He's not going to leave his wife," Ruby said, deciding to be blunt. It might be cruel, but sometimes Belle would listen to nothing else. "He didn't leave her for Neal, who's the person he loves the most. He's not going to leave her for you just because you're nice to him. He needs to do it because _he wants to_ , Belle. Not because you asked him and not because you kissed him.”

Ruby expected her to shout, “Almost!” once again.

Instead, she went quiet. Then, she said, “I can't go to New York, can I?”

“No. You absolutely cannot.”

Ruby waited. The next time Belle spoke, she sounded exhausted, “I'm sorry I dropped this on you.”

“I'm not. What's a best friend good for if you can't call in the middle of the night?”

Ruby knew what a smile sounded like in Belle's voice. When she spoke again, there was no trace of it, “This isn't serious. I don't know what this is, but it's probably nothing. A silly crush. You don't have to worry.”

_Too late._

Out loud, Ruby decided to lie, “I'm not.”

Belle sighed. “I need to try to get some sleep.”

“Okay.”

“I hate this whole thing, you know?”

“I know. It's alright.”

“Goodnight.”

Belle didn't wait for Ruby to answer before hanging up. Ruby felt the urge to call back and press for more. She knew Belle well enough to know that she'd crawl into bed and stare at the ceiling all night, trying not to think of Mr. Gold, of Bae, of her own guilt. But it was late and Belle was right. They had to get some sleep. They could always talk about it the next day.

She went back to bed, taking the shirt off and slipping naked under the covers.

Graham passed an arm around her. It wasn't a surprise when he asked, "Do I have to tell Neal?"

Ruby interlocked her fingers with his, finding the touch comforting in the midst of her chaotic thoughts. "I don't know."


End file.
